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State offering free masks for farm workers
Story Date: 7/29/2020
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Source: NCDA&CS, 7/28/20
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is offering to deliver surgical-grade masks at no-cost for farm workers.
To support prevention efforts that are proven to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, NCDHHS is implementing its plan this week to deliver over 900,000 masks and other infection control supplies to North Carolina Cooperative Extension county centers across the state for distribution to farms and agricultural operations. In addition to masks, the deliveries included hand sanitizer and cloth face coverings for workers to take home.
Thirty-one counties have been selected to receive the first delivery, including: Alamance, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Harnett, Henderson, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Martin, Mecklenburg, Nash, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Wake, Wayne, Wilson.
“Many of our farmworkers live in group housing, putting them at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. Providing masks is one way we are helping to protect workers,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen.
NCDHHS is partnering with N.C. Cooperative Extension, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the N.C. Department of Labor and the N.C. Agromedicine Institute to expedite a delivery plan and raise awareness about this resource among the farming community.
“Some of these supplies have been difficult for farmers to source as demand has exceeded supply. I am grateful that farmworkers and farmers have been prioritized for these much-needed materials,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The health of our farmers and farmworkers is very important because we all rely on them every day.”
If you are in one of the 31 counties listed above, contact your County Cooperative Extension office to arrange for masks.
OR
Contact the Office of the State Veterinarian directly. Send a point of contact (name, phone number, email address and delivery address) as well as the number of workers at your facility to: Dr. Doug Meckes, state veterinarian
doug.meckes@ncagr.gov
Signage is available in English and Spanish from NCDHHS
8.5" x 11" (English, Spanish, Combined English and Spanish)
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